House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas- Farmers in All Regions Deserve 2012 Farm Bill That Works for Them 

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held the first of two days worth of hearings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning- as the hearings began, the Subcommittee heard from Chairman of the full Committee, Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas, who reminded his members that a successful farm bill in 2012 has to work for "all regions and all commodities" and that he believes that Congress should provide with options, either revenue or price protection.

Here are a few remarks from his opening statement:

"Along with crop insurance, Title I programs establish the very fabric of the farm safety net. They ensure that dramatic swings in commodity prices and volatile weather don't put farmers and ranchers out of business. Further, they ensure that we - as consumers - always have a stable food and fiber supply.

"That safety net has to exist for all regions and all crops, and it has to be written with bad times in mind. These programs should not guarantee that the good times are the best, but rather that the bad times are manageable.

"To that end, as I have said many times, farm policy has to be equitable. The Farm Bill that we craft has to recognize the diversity of agriculture in America. It has to work for all regions and all commodities."

Chairman Lucas's full statement--both written and audio--is available by clicking here.

Congressman Lucas was also on the national talk show, AgriTalk- and we feature some of the things he told Mike Adams on Wednesday along with the thoughts of the Senate Ag Leadership on our Thursday morning farm and ranch news heard on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network- click here to take a listen.

Lucas Quizzes Witnesses on Risk Management; USA Rice Blasts Senate Farm Bill 

In early opening remarks and testimony before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, Congressman Frank Lucas reiterated his concern that the 2012 Farm Bill must work for "all regions and all commodities."

In examining revenue protection, the committee heard from Dr. Joe Outlaw of Texas A&M. Outlaw testified that he believe reference prices developed last fall from historical data would not drive producers' planting decisions as some opponents fear.

On the issue of crop insurance, the sub-committee heard from Dr. Keith Collins, former chief economist for the USDA. Collins addressed complaints that the current crop insurance system is not working. He said that insurance participation rates across different crops and in different regions is not an accurate measure of whether the program is working. (You can read and hear more of Dr. Outlaw's and Dr. Collins's testimony by clicking here.)

Linda Raun, chairwoman of USA Rice Producers' Group, took issue with the Senate's version of the farm bill, saying it was too narrowly focused on corn and soybean growers in the Midwest. (Click here for her testimony).

American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman told the committee, "Continuation of a multi-legged stool remains the best approach for providing a fair and effective safety net, which should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continuation of the current marketing loan provisions and a catastrophic revenue loss program."  (Stallman's testimony is available here.)

Senators Stabenow and Roberts Beat the Drum for Senate Floor Time for 2012 Farm Bill Proposal

Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and the top Republican on the Committee, Senator Pat Roberts, talked with reporters in a telephone news conference on Wednesday, starting their media briefing just as the House Ag Leadership were talking farm policy at the start of a House Ag Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management hearing. Both Senators had a common theme- they are proud of the Senate Ag Committee measure, want action on it on the floor of the US Senate as soon as is possible- and believe that the Senate Leadership will bow to pressure to allow that to happen.

There have been signals from the Senate Ag Committee staff that floor time for the farm bill debate could be forthcoming in June.

The Senators also are convinced that a conference with the House will result in a compromise that can be delivered back to the two bodies and then on the President this year.

Click here to read and hear more about how the Senate floor debate is shaping up. 

New University Study: Ethanol Reduced Gas Prices by More than $1 in 2011

America's growing use of domestically-produced ethanol reduced wholesale gasoline prices by an average of $1.09 per gallon in 2011, according to updated research conducted by economics professors at the University of Wisconsin and Iowa State University. The 2011 results, which are up from an average impact of $0.89 per gallon in 2010, were released today by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD).

The new analysis, an update to a 2009 peer-reviewed paper published in Energy Policy by professors Dermot Hayes and Xiaodong Du, also found gasoline prices have been reduced by an average of $0.29 per gallon, or 17%, from 2000-2011 thanks to the growing use of ethanol.

"Growth in US ethanol production has added significantly to the volume of fuel available in the US," said Professor Hayes. "It is as if the US oil refining industry had found a way to extract 10% more gasoline from a barrel of oil."

Read more about this story by clicking here.

Farmland Values Rise with Crop Prices According to KC Fed Agricultural Credit Survey

Strong farm incomes continued to fuel demand for Tenth District farmland, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's quarterly Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions.

The value of nonirrigated cropland in the seven-state District rose more than 25 percent above year ago levels in the first quarter of 2012, on top of the more than 20 percent gain posted in 2011. This marked the first time in the history of the survey that the annual value of District cropland rose more than 20 percent for two consecutive years.

With dry conditions still prevalent in much of the District, the value of irrigated acreage vaulted more than 30 percent higher than a year ago, and annual ranchland values surged 16 percent as high feed costs boosted demand for pasture ground. Looking forward, about a third of the 235 survey respondents expected the upward trend in farmland values would continue through the next few months. 

You can read more about this story as well as find links to the survey itself by clicking here.

NCBA Ready to Work with Congress, Administration to Finalize Comprehensive BSE Rule

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published in the Federal Register a comprehensive rule for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) on March 16, 2012. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) voiced support for the rule in comments submitted late Tuesday. NCBA Vice President Bob McCan said the organization has been pushing for this rule since the first case of BSE was detected in the United States in December 2003.

"This has been a long time coming and we certainly welcome this rule. Quite simply, this proposed rule will show the United States is willing to talk the talk and walk the walk with regard to following international standards developed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)," said McCan. "We cannot demand our trading partners follow OIE standards when we are not here at home."

As noted in the comments submitted by NCBA, the comprehensive BSE rule will solidify the United States' commitment to basing trade relationships on internationally-recognized, science-based standards. McCan said maintaining a healthy cattle herd is a top priority for NCBA and USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) should be commended for putting forth a comprehensive BSE rule that allows the United States to meet demand with little, if any, market disruption.

Click her to read more.

This N That- OBI Sale- Wheat Day in Lahoma and Harvest Breaking North

Coming up today at 12 noon is the OBI(Oklahoma Beef Incorporated) Spring Turnout Sale- featuring Angus, Hereford and Brangus bulls to be sold. The sale will be held at the OBI test facility on State Highway 51, 8 miles west of Stillwater between Stillwater and Interstate 35.  You can attend the sale in person or you can check out the offering online as the sale will be live in cyberspace on DVAuction.Com.  The sale day phone is 405-624-1181- Click here for more information including a link over the catalog that is on the OBI website.

Even as wheat harvest is breaking out almost all the way north to the OSU North Central Research Station at Lahoma- the annual Lahoma Wheat Field Day is set for tomorrow morning- with the wagons to pull out for the various stops at 9:30 AM. There is an excellent lineup of stops for the 2012 tour- it's early enough in the day that moisture levels will be too high to harvest anyway- and they will even feed you lunch- click here for the Wagon Stops planned during the morning hours- covering everything from organic matter to wheat varieties to trends in leasing land to double cropping with sorghum this year- we plan on being there- be sure and say howdy if you come.

We will have a more comprehensive look at the 2012 harvest tomorrow morning, with reports from both the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and Plains Grains expected- and we will be checking in with several elevators as well. On their Facebook page, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission had a photo of some harvest underway in the Clinton area- up by I-40, while Madison Bolay traded tweets with me last night about harvest ready to start in the Perry area- north of Stillwater along I-35.  This even as harvest is moving forward in the southeastern part of the state, even with many custom harvest crews not yet in Oklahoma or just arriving from Texas.  Meanwhile, Josh Bushong- OSU Extension Canola Specialist, was reporting in on Twitter from Taloga where he was helping a producer with harvest in that northwestern Oklahoma community. The earliness of the harvest is a challenge- matching fields that are ready with equipment that is available.